Bologna win Coppa Italia as Pulisic, Milan fall short

Dan Ndoye's second-half strike earned Bologna a hard-fought 1-0 victory over AC Milan in the Coppa Italia final on Wednesday to secure their first major trophy in 51 years.

Bologna got the breakthrough eight minutes after the restart when Milan defender Theo Hernandez's well-timed tackle on Riccardo Orsolini sent the ball rolling to an unmarked Ndoye, who calmly slotted it home from close range.

The victory earned Bologna their first piece of major silverware since they won the same competition in 1974 and secured qualification for next season's Europa League.

The club, which is owned by Canadian Joey Saputo, has only won two second-division titles in between.

It was also coach Vincenzo Italiano's first win in a final, having lost back-to-back Europa Conference League title matches while in charge of Fiorentina and finishing runner-up in the 2023 Italian Cup.

"They were three hefty disappointments," Italiano told broadcaster Mediaset. "I didn't think I could immediately come back and get my own back. But we succeeded and I'm happy.

"I add an important trophy to my mantlepiece and I truly dedicate it to the guys, who were extraordinary."

Italiano had been flung in the air by his players in celebration immediately after the final whistle. Many of them were in tears of joy, much like some of the thousands of Bologna fans in the stands.

And the 47-year-old coach was eager to get back to the festivities.

"Now let me go and celebrate, because this is something really incredible," Italiano said with a smile at the end of his television interview.

The match was a thrilling replay of Friday's Serie A encounter, where Milan triumphed with a dominant 3-1 victory on home turf.

Both teams were desperate to salvage what had been disappointing seasons, with Bologna sitting in seventh place in Serie A and Milan trailing just behind in eighth, with only two matches left to play.

After a fast-paced start to the first half, where both sides carved out dangerous chances, the teams went into the break goalless after some sharp saves at either end.

Milan keeper Mike Maignan was called into action within the first few minutes, making a reflex save from a flicked header by Juan Miranda following a free kick.

Minutes later, Bologna keeper Lukasz Skorupski pulled off an impressive double stop, saving from an unfortunate deflection from teammate Sam Beukema off a cross, then stopping an effort from Milan's Luka Jovic on the rebound.

Bologna's Lewis Ferguson was left struggling to stem a nose bleed when he slid in to tackle Rafael Leão, but caught a blow to the face.

After Bologna got the breakthrough, Milan laboured to find any urgency as their attacks fizzled out long before threatening an equaliser.

The most striking moment late on came when Beukema collided with a Bologna teammate, leaving his white shirt streaked with blood as medics rushed on to bandage his head.

Information from Reuters and The Associated Press was used in this report.